ESD testing

With the increased use of plastics and synthetic materials in the modern environment and the wide spread use of metal-oxide technologies the effects on electronic systems due to ESD have become more significant. The main problem today is not one of permanent damage but rather of soft failure and malfunction of equipment in the field. According a test specification IEC8O1-2 for the testing of immunity to ESD failure was introduced in the 1980s. This is a generic standard and forms the basis for all of the modern national and European `harmonised´ specifications